The Dog's-Eye View
by atlaswhite
Summary: When Tintin first met Captain Haddock, Snowy had only regarded the larger man as yet another of the countless figures that populated their adventures. At the end of the day, it was Tintin and Snowy. That was just the way it was. But this time, things were different. When this adventure was over, the man who smelled of whisky never left. (Tintin/Haddock)


_Snowy + Tintin & Captain Haddock - The Dog's Eye View_

When Tintin first met Captain Haddock, Snowy had only regarded the larger, darker man as yet another of the countless figures that populated their adventures. The man had come so suddenly into Tintin's life, and Snowy had thought that he would disappear just as quickly. At the end of the day, it was Tintin and Snowy. That was just the way it was.

He joined Tintin and Snowy on their adventure, and together the three of them went on an aeroplane together to a place with huge bones and no water. Snowy remembered going to a similar place when Tintin went looking for an eerie old tomb with a pointy-haired, strangely-dressed man who left their lives as quickly as everyone else.

But this time, things were different. When the adventure was over, the man who smelled of whisky never left.

Snowy had never seen his human get along so well with another of his own kind. Tintin and the Captain visited each other frequently, and to Snowy's surprise, the larger man started to accompany the two of them on their other adventures, too.

He went with them when they tried to find the star that caused the terrible heat, and came after Tintin and Snowy when the youth had been kidnapped, arriving just in time to save him from being shot by the bad man they'd called Bird. He came with them to the island with the talking parrots and helped them find the treasure of Red Rackham. (Snowy didn't understand why the shiny things and old bottles were so important, but they made the humans happy, and that was good enough for him.)

Now, being a very proud dog, Snowy was, admittedly, very jealous of him at first. He wished he understood what the two humans would say to each other. He wished that he could do all the things for Tintin that it seemed the Captain could.

After all, Snowy could not save Tintin from the Bird-man with the gun, or from the submarine when something apparently went terribly wrong with it. And he could not make Tintin happy the same way that the Captain could, either. The kind smiles and pats on the head and obliging "Good boy, Snowy"s were not the same as the warmth and laughter that Tintin seemed to save for the Captain.

But as time went on, Snowy started to see that it was for the best that Tintin had found a human to accompany him, because there were things only the Captain could do, true, but there were also things that only Snowy could do, like chewing through ropes or climbing into vents, or even just keeping his master company as a good dog should. So, he decided, as long as Tintin still loved him, and the two could still go on adventures together, Snowy could share.

Shortly after they found the Red Rackham's treasure, things changed again. The Captain moved into a great big house filled with interesting smells, and Snowy discovered that he'd gotten a cat, too. Tintin went with Snowy to visit the Captain as this great big house several times a week, and the terrier liked this change a lot, because there was so much space to explore, and he could chase the cat through the wide halls and up and down the stairs of the great big house.

Sometimes, Tintin would dress up and put on something that changed his scent in a pleasant way. He told Snowy it was called "cologne", and when he put it on, it always meant that he and Captain Haddock were going to go together to places with music and similarly dressed-up people. And sometimes there would be singers, or people on stages. Other places had large groups of people doing nothing but talking and good-tasting food that they would share with Snowy. He didn't care so much for the stage performances, but he really liked the gatherings.

There were a lot of things that Snowy didn't understand about humans- even Tintin and Captain Haddock. For instance, he didn't understand the point of the gatherings, or why they got mad when he chased the cat, or how they could summon Nestor and why he always had just what they wanted. But he _did_ understand what was developing between the two men, even if they weren't ready to admit it yet.

After all, Snowy may not be completely in the loop about humans, but he was one very _clever_ and _worldly_ fox terrier. Or so he liked to think.

Things went on like this for quite a while, surprisingly quietly, until the three of them went with Calculus and the round-faced man and the Thomson detectives in the shuttle. The next change that came was probably the biggest, and being the very clever boy he was, Snowy could feel the magnitude.

It was foolish of him to go on ahead in that cave- he'd later reflect that he'd been acting out like a spoiled puppy. But it brought out something in Captain Haddock that Snowy hadn't completely grasped before.

Snowy didn't know what would've happened to Tintin in that awful hole, but he knew that it would've been irreparable, and that made him feel just awful. But the Captain had swooped in, like he always did, when things got tough, and pulled Tintin up. Then he held onto the barely-conscious youth as if letting go would mean losing him. There were many things Snowy didn't understand, but more than anything, he understood that.

And he saw how Tintin changed afterward, too. Being in bad states after the shuttle returned to Earth, Snowy wasn't sure what happened next, but it had hurt the Captain and that made his human cry- something he rarely ever did, and never like _that_.

Right afterward, Tintin put all of his things into boxes and had them sent away. Snowy watched as he put away his books and tall stacks of paper and all of his possessions, and even Snowy's toys. It was all terribly exciting- they had only moved once since the two had been together. Then they went onto the train and went to the Captain's great big house- Marlinspike Hall, he now knew.

When evening came that day, Tintin and Snowy did not leave like they usually did, just like Captain Haddock had never left their lives. Tintin started to take their things out of the boxes and arrange them in the Hall, although he couldn't put all of it away in just one day.

The three had dinner together, the humans at the table, Snowy at his dish on the floor, and then they headed for the sitting room where Tintin and Haddock would sit and Snowy would sleep.

Before they got there, though, Tintin stopped the Captain and the two spoke in the hall. Snowy sat on the floor and preoccupied himself scratching his ear and neck. Then, Tintin rose up onto his toes and pressed his lips against Haddock's lips. The dog stopped scratching.

Snowy had never seen such a gesture, outside of movies. It was very novel to him, and he didn't understand the significance at all, except that it was a sign of human affection. But he accepted it as a part of the way things were changing.

And so, he and Tintin moved into Marlinspike Hall. Snowy liked the change just fine; now he would be able to play on the grounds and chase the cat and never have to worry about going on tiring train rides back and forth. This was another change for the better.

The adventures did not end, and Snowy was happy with that too. Tintin seemed to be more protective of Haddock since they started to kiss and share a home, which the dog found to be a little strange, given that the Captain was larger, but he knew that Tintin was just like that. He liked to take care of other people.

After a particularly long and strenuous adventure that involved Uncle Cuthbert's umbrella, the three had come home stressed out and ready to relax at long last. Snowy could understand the humans seeming upset about it all. In fact, he was still feeling a little frustrated with himself for having lost track of the umbrella. Why, he'd nearly lost it altogether!

He nudged open the door and trotted into the master bedroom that the two humans shared. He found that they were already in their nice big bed together, but stiffened as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw Captain Haddock pinning Tintin down on the bed beneath his weight. He was only half-dressed, and seemed to be _biting_ the smaller human's neck and shoulder- a bad gesture in the canine world, but what did that mean to humans? What on earth was the Captain _doing_ to their Tintin?

Confused and upset by the display, Snowy bristled, and set to barking. The two men froze and looked over at the small white creature, before Tintin suddenly started to _laugh_.

"Oh no, no, Snowy, it's quite alright!" Tintin exclaimed, his voice as reassuring as ever. "Look, the Captain isn't hurting me, Snowy. Don't be upset, please?"

Snowy bregrudgingly did as he was told, sitting down on the floor near the bed and watching the strange activies go on. It must not be such a bad thing if Tintin was allowing it. After all, there was nobody who could do anything to him that he didn't want. And while Snowy might not be able to tell what they were doing, he knew that he trusted Haddock, and so did Tintin- more than anyone, in fact.

When the two humans were finished, they huddled together under the sheets, Tintin tucked into Haddock's broad chest, both holding each other protectively. Snowy hopped up onto the bed and climbed nonchalantly up onto the sheets, curling up in the dip formed by the two warm figures.

Snowy had decided long ago that it wasn't so bad, sharing his master with this man. But there were certain things he was still a little jealous of, to be honest, and the way that they looked, locked together like the pieces of a puzzle, a picture of happiness and contentment, was probably the greatest among them.

Still, this warm place was his favorite in the world, and Haddock's presence only made it warmer still. Snowy knew that Tintin needed the Captain, and it was really for the best that the two had each other. After all, as long as Tintin loved them both, and they would always go on adventures together, that was good enough for Snowy.


End file.
